Southern California -- this just in

Phonehenge West to be dismantled, but owner may avoid jail

August 5, 2011 | 11:27
am

The Acton man who built an ornate maze of structures dubbed Phonehenge West without the proper permits may be spared jail time, a judge said Friday, as workers prepared to destroy large portions of his creation.

Alan Kimble Fahey, a retired phone company technician, faced possible time behind bars for his offenses, but Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Daviann L. Mitchell suggested he may be allowed to perform community service instead.

Fahey, 59, who spent almost three decades building his creation from discarded power company utility poles and other recycled materials, was convicted in June on a dozen building code violations. He was scheduled to be sentenced last month but the proceedings were delayed after he suffered kidney stones. At Friday's hearing in the Antelope Valley, sentencing was again postponed until Sept. 23.

Fahey's case garnered a groundswell of support from people who share the view that Los Angeles County's code enforcement regulations are excessive, and Friday's hearing was attended by sympathizers.

Fahey was briefly jailed after he ignored Judge Mitchell's initial orders to vacate and tear down all the structures erected without permits. His family posted the $75,000 bail to get him freed. The judge allowed Fahey to remain out of jail until Friday's court date after she learned he had started to comply with her instructions.

Fahey has moved to a rental property in Tehachapi, and has hired a company to start dismantling a 70-foot tower -- the highlight of his life's labor. Fahey said Friday morning the tower would likely come down within hours.

Photo: Alan Kimble "Kim" Fahey has spent more than three decades turning his Acton property into a habitable sculpture he calls Phonehenge, but L.A. County code enforcers want him to tear it down. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times